Sam Tillen praised City U18’s spirit as they fought back from 2-0 down against Rotherham United on Saturday.
The young Imps managed to salvage a draw thanks to two goals from Bola Okewoye, and Tillen believes the challenging conditions and fight they showed will serve as a valuable learning experience for his side.
He said: “It was a big learning experience for us. We struggled with the conditions and didn’t adapt our game to counteract the opposition and their style of play.
“We made too many poor decisions on and out of possession but the real positive was that we managed to stay in the game and score two late goals to earn a point.”
Tillen was particularly impressed by the impact of his young players, including 15-year-old Josh Kennealey who came off the bench to set up the first goal and Bola Okewoye who scored both second-half goals.
He added: “15-year-old Josh Kennealey came on and made a real impact, assisting the first goal and schoolboy Noah Simmons played a part in both goals, scored by Bola.
“We will work hard this week and look to improve our performance ahead of Notts County on Friday.”